


And For A Moment, He Was Home

by otawritesthings



Category: Captain Marvel (2019), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Aliens, Captain Marvel (2019) Spoilers, Captain Marvel AU, Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kaminari Denki is a Good Friend, Marvel - Freeform, More Tags to be added as I go, Protective Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Protective Shinsou Hitoshi, Shinsou Hitoshi Replaces Mineta Minoru, Superheroes, Violence, bnhadisneyevent, dadzawa and shinson, flerkens are just cats, platonic the whole way man
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:28:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23589922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/otawritesthings/pseuds/otawritesthings
Summary: Captain Marvel AU Starring Shinsou and Aizawa.--“Shinsou, huh? Starforce? How long are you in town?” Aizawa rumbled in his deep voice.Shinsou fought the urge to roll his eyes. Did this guy seriously not know that Skrulls were coming any minute now? “I’ll make you a deal. As soon as I get these Skrulls out of your hair, I’ll be on my way.”It was the truth. If Shinsou could execute it correctly.“Skrulls?”Oh, he really didn’t know.--For the BNHA DISNEY EVENT MONTHLY CHALLENGE
Relationships: Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead & Shinsou Hitoshi, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead & Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Eri & Shinsou Hitoshi, Kaminari Denki & Shinsou Hitoshi, Shinsou Hitoshi & Takami Keigo | Hawks, Shinsou Hitoshi & Yagi Toshinori | All Might
Comments: 3
Kudos: 40





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm gonna keep this brief because it's almost 2am and I'm really tired haha.
> 
> I just watched Captain Marvel *golf claps* because of quarantine, and hey, captain marvel is Disney! So here's my submission for this month's theme. Each week will have a new chapter, and it will follow that week's prompt. This was was "making a deal" so I tried to slide it in there just a bit haha.
> 
> Enjoy! I'll try to explain better in ch2 when I'm not dead inside.

“You had another nightmare.” It’s more of a statement than a question, and Shinsou can’t help but resent it.

“No.” He shrugs, tugging at his collar with annoyance. Dabi always thought he knew what Shinsou was thinking. Shinsou liked to think he didn’t, but Dabi’s eyes always had that light in them, like he could read Shinsou cover to cover. Most days, Shinsou could ignore it, but in the dim light of the transit car, he felt more scrutinized than ever.

“Ok then fine, a  _ memory,  _ ‘Mr. I Don’t Know My Own Name.’ Sure looks like a nightmare to me with the way you look as though you’ve seen death.”

“Rude.” Shinsou huffed, but felt a smirk tug up at his lips. Dabi may be an ass, but he was at least  _ some  _ kind of company. “So tell me… what do you see when you go to the Supreme Intelligence?”

“It’s a secret.” Dabi said with a quirk of his scarred mouth. 

Shinsou arched an eyebrow but didn’t press the matter. He opened his mouth to crack back at the man’s bad breath, but the transit car came to a smooth stop, and Dabi practically kicked Shinsou out. It wasn’t hard -- considering it was only two in the morning -- and  _ yes,  _ Shinsou  _ did  _ have a nightmare and was more tired than usual, but it didn’t mean that the purple haired boy enjoyed it any less.

“We’re here. And shut your mouth, you don’t want to catch something.” Dabi drawled, ambling on ahead of him without a care in the world. 

_ Whatever. It’s not like he has to face the Supreme Intelligence today. _

“Shinsou? This way please,” A tall guard with a scar down his forehead nodded towards a hulking metal door, and Shinsou had no choice but to follow. The halls were quiet -- too quiet, for Shinsou’s liking even though he preferred  _ some _ peace. It left enough room for his thoughts to echo around in his brain like missiles.

_ Who would he see in the supreme intelligence? _

“Through here,” the scarred guard pushed open a giant set of doors, and despite them, Shinsou felt constricted by the small room, “Stand on the platform. Try to be as still as possible.”

The feeling of transporting into the Supreme Intelligence was one that Shinsou could only describe as  _ nauseating.  _ He felt weightless and heavy at the same time, and when the world stop spinning he was assaulted with blinding white lights and gray walls. 

_ Were they walls? _

“Ah, Shinsou. You look well.” Shinsou spun on his heel and came face to face with an older man, yellow hair sticking up straight in the black and bangs drooping below his chin in the front. He looked haggard, thin, and his body curved in on itself almost involuntarily.

“Who are you?” Shinsou called, but the image just stared blankly back. His mind spun and drew nothing but blanks. “You’re supposed to be someone who inspires me… but… I don’t know who you are!”

“And this, Shinsou, is your weakness.” The man sighed, “You rely on your emotions too much. They control you.”

“They do not--”

“They most certainly do or you would not be shaking like that. Calm yourself.”

The purple haired boy looked down to find he had instinctively balled his hands up into fists at his sides, and they shook like their own mini earthquakes.

“What will you do when you get into a battle and your emotions get the best of you, Shinsou? You will only hurt everyone around you and yourself.” The man sighed, sunken in blue eyes meeting Shinsou’s tired violet ones. 

“I won’t let them get the best of me. I took a vow to protect my people and--”

“Then for your sake and ours I hope you uphold it.”

\---

“Skrulls sighted in a neighboring galaxy. They have taken the civilians hostage.” Dabi’s voice echoed throughout the hangar as Shinsou fiddled with his arm band. He had been training, yes, with Dabi as his instructor, but didn’t feel any more at ease walking right into enemy territory. The Skrulls posed just as much a threat as ever, and if Hitoshi didn’t get a hold on his powers…

When he had realized that he had the power coursing through his veins, he had immediately turned to Dabi -- his supervisor -- and asked for help. The way his hands glowed and tingled with pulsing energy was so foreign even still, though, and it was spotty at best. Every early blast of energy that rocketed him his palms during sparring left him reeling and his bones aching in the best and worst ways. He felt  _ alive  _ when using the energy, but some part of him knew it was dangerous, and the way his joints popped reminded him that it wasn’t entirely safe. Dabi had implanted the chip in his neck early on to keep the roaring life inside him to a dull hum that he only felt if he was still and silent. The bursts of energy had subsided, and with Dabi’s help, he had finally gotten a handle on them.

Now it was time to use them.

“Remember, the Skrulls can morph into anyone. Know your questions and answers. Don’t let them take you by surprise.” A short woman with blonde hair -- Toga, if Shinsou remembered correctly -- pointed out, gesturing loosley with her rifle to the squadron. 

“Ship’s ready! Everyone on!” Shigaraki -- another soldier he found commonly hanging around with Dabi -- yelled, gesturing for everyone to get into the spacecraft. It seemed nice enough, Shinsou thought, but whoever was flying was doing a questionable and rocky job, despite how smooth space travel normally was.

“Planet is just a jump ahead. Ready your weapons. Make sure you do  _ not  _ hurt any of the civilians. We’re here for the Skrulls, and the Skrulls only.” Dabi rose to his feet first, not tall enough to tower physically, but his aura radiated a leadership that couldn’t be ignored.

They docked and split, Toga taking her spot as sniper atop a rock formation, and Shinsou breaking off with Dabi to enter a cavern lit by a few torches.

“It’s quiet.” Shinsou observed, adjusting his grip on his blaster in anticipation. “I’m gonna go in and take a closer look around.”

Dabi’s scarred hand stopped him as soon as he shifted his weight forward, though, and Shinsou whipped around with blazing eyes to meet Dabi’s own dark pools. The older man glared at him, as though he personally wanted nothing more to eliminate the purple haired boy himself.

“That’s dumb. You shouldn’t go in there alone, or have you been listening to nothing I’ve said in practice? You’re letting your emotions rule you again.”

“Oh really?” Shinsou huffed, “What emotions?”

“Your fear. Your anxieties--” 

“Sounds to me like those are  _ your  _ problems, not mine.” Shinsou grunted, and shrugged Dabi’s hand off. There was a job to do, whether Dabi wanted to be careful or not, Shinsou was going to go into battle and kill some Skrulls and save this planet. It was his  _ duty  _ as a Kree soldier. The blue blood that ran through his veins proved it.

“I’m going to follow you. You’ll need backup.” Dabi decided for Shinsou, but the promise was soon short lived.

Almost as soon as they ventured into the cabin, shots were fired, and the seemingly civilians morphed into the disgusting Skrulls, their fake scaly skin melting into something more fleshy, yet holding a greenish tint to it that glimmered in the dim lighting. 

Dabi left his side in a second, and Shinsou couldn’t help but feel more free. Leaping down into the cavern, he readied his blaster and made quick work of stopping some of the Skrull soldiers that rushed at him like moths drawn to light.

He readied his blaster at a “civilian,” feeling the tug of his intuition telling him that they were Skrull and not the natives of this rocky planet, when a hand reached from behind his shoulder and pushed the weapon down. The civilian scampered away, and Shinsou felt his jaw tighten with rage. 

“They aren’t Skrull -- just civilian.” he knew it was Shigaraki behind him just by the raspy voice and the gloves he wore over his hands.

Shinsou couldn’t be sure, though. His mind was screaming at him that something was  _ wrong,  _ and yet his rational side was telling him to  _ ignore it. It’s your emotions. You’re a better soldier than this. You were made to fight, not to feel. _

“Identification number 56038.” Shinsou barked, turning around to face Shigaraki who just smirked back at him through signature chapped lips.

“87361.” He responded and Shinsou nodded. It checked out. The second he turned his back to go find more Kree though, a strangling green light wrapped around his neck like a lightning scarf.

“What the-- hell? Shig?” He gasped, trying to force his hands up to his neck to  _ breathe,  _ but he couldn’t  _ move.  _

Shigaraki didn’t respond, but Shinsou watched in horror as his pale skin shifted into a glossy pale green. 

_ Damn. He had been fooled. But then… how had the Skrull known Shig’s number? _

_ He shouldn’t have believed so blindly. This is what the Supreme Intelligence mentioned when they said his emotions would rule him to death. _

The world spun and flickered and turned dark at the edges. Shinsou felt his heart rate spike and skitter. He had to page the squad. He needed to get Dabi. The Skrulls were worse than they thought, and they needed to end them before they destroyed the whole galaxy--

The world tilted and faded to nothing as Shinsou lost conscience.

\---

_ Shinsou was seven, and he was learning to ride a bike. Training wheels forgotten, the kid with the wild purple hair pushed off the asphalt and pushed hard on the pedals, feeling his calf muscles tense with the work. He flew forward, and it wasn’t long after that he found himself flying through the neighborhoods with a speed he had never felt before. He felt… free. _

_ The pebble in the road begged to differ.  _

_ With a thud, the front tire of Shinsou’s bike connected with the loose object and swerved to the side. The bike tilted, and at an unholy speed, Shinsou found himself flying off the bike and rolling to a scraped stop in the road. _

_ “Shinsou! You shouldn’t be doing that!” A man in the doorway yelled. “You aren’t big enough! You’re going to hurt yourself!” _

_ Frail. _

_ Shinsou was eleven at the go cart track. A blonde with angry red eyes glared at him as they raced around stacked tires and bright barricades. _

_ “Look at the shrimp! He’s so skinny he could probably never win anything, even if he isn’t the one doing the work!” _

_ Shinsou felt his anger rise, and he floored the gas pedal. His steering wheel spun in his hands, and his back end connected with a stack of tires. The go cart flipped, and he flew into the air before crashing down in a heap of dirt. He  _ **_hurt_ ** _ in that moment, not because of the searing pain in his no doubt broken ankle, but because that  _ **_man_ ** _ from the house was there, telling him he was too weak. That a small stature like his wasn’t meant for dangerous things. _

_ Shinsou was twenty-two, and climbing a twenty foot rope in boot camp. _

_ “Bet he can’t grab the next one! Look at the size of his arms! Pathetic!” _

_ Frail. _

_ Shinsou was not frail. _

_ Shinsou jumped, reaching for the next rope. His fingers connected with taught cords and he tensed the muscles in his fingers, but too late. He missed the rope, letting it swing back and forth and hit him in the face and he was falling.  _

_ He crashed into the dirt with nothing but the other trainee’s yells and jeers to comfort him. _

_ Shinsou was twenty-three, and a blonde man was smiling at him through gaunt skin. Shinsou smiled back; he couldn’t help it. _

_ “I like the view from the sky. It’s cathartic.” He mumbled, and the blonde man’s smile grew. _

_ “I do too. You’ll be up there soon enough.” _

_**Wait. Go back. Focus on the name tag.** _

**_Mar…._ **

_ The world blurred. The blonde man walked away. _

_ Over his shoulder was the deep voice of the blonde man. He spun over his shoulder. _

**_Mar...vell…_ **

_ Shinsou was twenty-four and in an airplane. The dials and knobs flew under his fingers as he worked them skillfully. His head hurt from the weight of the helmet on his head, but he didn’t care. He was  _ flying. 

_ “What are we doing, captain?” _

_ “Ending a war.” _

**_The coordinates._ **

**_Focus on them._ **

_ Shinsou’s vision blurred, and his headache. He blinked furiously to rid the sogginess from his mind. _

**_THE COORDINATES._ **

_ He couldn’t understand… the world was tilted and hazy and he couldn’t focus. _

_ “Shinsou? Are you alright?” _

**_THE COORDINATES!_ **

_ He focused on the dash, letting three numbers sink into his mind and then he was blinking again against bright light and then… dim. _

_ And upside down. _

Shinsou’s world spun back into focus. He was no longer in the airplane…  _ airplane?  _ But was in a laboratory. He was… upside down. He could feel the weight of shackles on his hands and feet. Shackled.

“He’s awake.” Shinsou’s eyes found the high pitched source of the voice, a green haired man -- who looked more like a boy -- with shiny green skin.

_ Skrull. _

“--C-53. Ah. Of course. Shinsou, we’ve been expecting you.” A taller man looked nonchalantly over his shoulder, vibrant red wings and gold visors clashing with the pale green tint to his face.

“You kidnapped me.” Shinsou hissed. His wrists twitched with the urge to release his power and break free. 

_ Wait for the right timing. _

“You are special, Shinsou.” The man with the red wings ambled towards him, eyes focused on a giant screen on the far side of the room. Shinsou recognized the flashes of a life --  _ his  _ life -- as they flicked across the screen.

_ Stockholm Syndrome much? No thanks. _

Shinsou felt his hands tingle with the promise of power, and then he ripped at the restraints.  _ Hard. _

His right hand gave way first, then the left and then he slashed violently at his feet and he dropped to the floor with the grace of a feline. The green eyed kid backed away in fear, and then turned tail and ran, while the man with red wings faced him threateningly.

“You don’t know what you’re doing. We have--”

“A desire to destroy the galaxy, I know. Save it.” Shinsou rolled his eyes and aimed his palms at the man. A shock of orange flew form his palms, but the other man was faster, leaping into the air and escaping with ease. The blast did not go out in vain, however, as it struck home in the head of another Skrull soldier.

He could hear the pound of angry footsteps coming his way.

“Time to go.” He hissed under his breath, breaking into a sprint for the door.

For every group of Skrull that he encountered, he left a sea of carnage in his wake. For every blaster, there was a molten remnant of Shinsou’s cuffs turned blasters by his powers.

There had to be a hanger or escape pod somewhere.

“Shinsou!” Red winged man was behind him. 

_ Move faster! _

Shinsou took a sudden right, not thinking about where he was going, only that he had to  _ go.  _ Another wave of Skrull soldiers blocked his path, but with a lift of his arms and a flash of orange and blue, they were down and he was moving again.

He threw all of his weight into a double door, and stumbled into a giant white room. The sight almost made him pass out from relief.

_ Pods. _

He jumped into the first one he saw, and slammed his hand on what he assumed to be the door button. A gunshot ran out behind his head, and then there was a hole in his dash. In a frenzy, he thew his body back around, raising his arms to release another shock.

“Leaving so soon?” Red wing man smiled sardonically, “I don’t think we’re done here.”

Shinsou did not agree. His body ricocheted with the force of the blast he shot, and then he was forcing the doors closed and revving the pod into gear. He was gone before the man could stop him again.

_ Now where… _

The only option he could think of was that he  _ had  _ to stop the Skrulls.

_ They mentioned a planet code… C-53. We’ll start there. There’s something there that they want, and if they get it, the galaxy will be doomed. _

\---

Shinsou awoke in rubble.

_ Ah, the pod had burned up in the atmosphere of C-53. And now… we’re in this… building? _

Shinsou pried his aching muscles up from the ground, thankful that he still wore his signature Kree green armor suit. Wherever he was, it was dark, and a quick glance up to the ceiling proved that the source of the darkness was the gaping hole in the roof of the building that had wrecked any sort of lighting unit there might have been.

Shinsou had to contact Dabi. He needed reinforcements and (he hated to admit it) guidance.

He moved out of the wrecked pod and froze when he saw the figure of two men in the window. Without thought, he readied his arm and aimed a blast at their heads. The top of the shadow disintegrated into an ashy mess of embers, and Shinsou almost felt guilty.  _ Just paper. _

At least he had broken through one of the floor to ceiling windows, and so that would serve as his escape.

Outside was almost darker than inside, and Shinsou found himself realizing it was the middle of the night on C-53, and that the only other sign of life was a transportation unit parked across the street. The word “security” was plastered across its side.

Shinsou hated to ask, but chances were they knew  _ something. _

He strode towards the unit. The… thing that sat inside looked oddly like a cree, but somehow different.

Pudgier.

The… human, as his suit’s wrist communicator informed him, simply stared at him through tinted glass.

Shinsou rolled his eyes and tapped on the glass. He didn’t have the patience for this. In order to save the Kree,  _ hell,  _ the whole  _ universe,  _ he needed this ‘security’ to hurry it the fuck up.

Slowly, ‘security’ rolled its window down. “Can I help you?”

“Are you in charge of guarding the safety of this region.”

The human paused.

“Uh… I guess so.”

“Where can I obtain communications equipment?” Shinsou put his hand on the top of the unit’s window and leaned slightly in. The ‘security’ just stared, then pointed with a shaky finger to a box in the distance. Inside was a black device shaped like… a fruit? Maybe?

Shinsou would take what he could get.

\---

“And that’s the situation up until now.” Shinsou sighed into the ‘payphone’ as it was called. “The Skrulls are on their way here no doubt. We have to find what they want and stop them.”

Dabi’s sigh crackled through the receiver, and Shinsou could feel the tension it carried. “Shinsou, we can be there in…” there was a pause and a rustle, “22 hours. If you hold your position--”

“No, I can’t! They could already be here!” Shinsou protested. 

“Shinsou, it’s too dangerous to engage alone,” Dabi argued, and Shinsou could almost hear… concern? “Just hold your position--”

In the rising sun, Shinsou could see two men in all black walking towards him. No good.

“I’ve gotta go, Dabi. I’ll try to contact later.”

“What? No. Shinsou. Shin--” Shinsou put the payphone back in it’s holder, and Dabi’s voice dissipated into nothingness.

“Excuse me sir,” one of the men coughed to catch his attention. Shinsou put on a fake smile and stepped out of the phone box. The man was in a finely pressed suit with dark hair pulled out of his face and a stubbly beard. He looked far too tired to be working  _ anywhere _ , but Shinsou locked that thought into the back of his mind. The other man was blonde, with long hair and vibrant green eyes. The two looked so different from each other that he could have laughed. “You didn’t happen to see anyone breaking and entering that Blockbuster over there, did you? Got a call that someone dressed like a… space ranger blew a hole in the roof.” The shaggy dark haired man’s voice carried a tone of amusement, but Shinsou’s mind raced a thousand miles a minute.

_ Oh. Shit. _

“Uhm, yea, I think he went that way.” Shinsou pointed over his shoulder. If he was lucky, the guy would buy it.

“Mmhmm.” The dark haired guy shook his head, “How about I see some identification?” He pulled out a badge and flicked it open.  _ Cheesy.  _

Shota Aizawa. U.A. Agent.

“Shinsou of planet Hala in the Starforce command. I don’t need a badge.” He quipped. Anstiness crept inside of him. He had to go find Skrulls, not stand around and talk to some washed up protection force.

“Shinsou, huh? Starforce? How long are you in town?” Aizawa rumbled in his deep voice.

Shinsou fought the urge to roll his eyes. Did this guy seriously not know that Skrulls were coming any minute now? “I’ll make you a deal. As soon as I get these Skrulls out of your hair, I’ll be on my way.”

It was the truth. If Shinsou could execute it correctly.

“Skrulls?”

Oh, he really didn’t know. Jeez, C-53 was  _ shit. _

“Shapeshifters that can copy a person just by looking at them? Good job asking a relevant question,  _ Agent Aizawa.”  _ Damn these Agents were crusty,

“Good job getting arrested,  _ Shinsou. _ ” Aizawa rolled his eyes and grabbed Shinsou’s shoulder. 

The tingle of a weapon being pointed at Shinsou’s neck appeared from nowhere. Shinsou’s eyes darted over his shoulder. Sure enough, a brunette woman with a gun peeked out from another rooftop. He grabbed Aizawa and threw him sideways into the phone box and threw a blast from his fist at the Skrull. She ran, and Shinsou didn’t wait for an invitation to follow.

He could hear Aizawa and his partner calling him, but he kept running. He didn’t have time for tired, scruffy agents anyway.

  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shinsou and Aizawa are the most deranged and dry duo the alien kickass world has ever seen.  
> Too bad Shinsou's a convicted felon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!  
> This is late, but it's fine. I'll get back on track soon.
> 
> ANYWAY!  
> This is a fic for the first month of the BNHA X Disney crossover event!  
> The theme for this week was "learning of the past" and I'm continuing on with the Captain Marvel fic! It's been super fun to write so far! Please enjoy!

Shinsou darted in between cars and streetlamps, sprinting after the brunette. She looked human enough -- in her C-53 style clothes -- but the purple haired boy knew better than to think that her attack was just because he was  _ there.  _ No, this woman was obviously Skrull, and was there to kill him.

He wished they had given him at least a  _ little  _ more time to figure things out.

The woman ducked down a flight of steps that disappeared under the sidewalk. Her dumb C-53 shoes click-clacking on every step. Shinsou rolled his eyes and picked up his face, nearly knocking a man over in his haste to catch the woman. And still, no matter how fast Shinsou pushed his muscles to go, the woman was just that much faster than him. A transit car pulled up in the space on his right, and he was just barely able to jump into one of the cars after the woman as the doors slid shut with a thunk.

A little spark of victory lit up in Shinsou’s chest, and he started for the end of the car, looking for the woman, only to find her gone.

_ Damn. The thing shifted. _

He marched forward to the back of the transit car anyway, pushing open the connector door with a force that made the passengers grimace. Shinsou  _ almost  _ felt guilty.

When he stepped into the next car, he could feel the slimy presence almost immediately. The damn skrull has probably shifted into something unexpected, though, so Shinsou wouldn’t be surprised if…

_ Aha. Old lady. _

She looked unassuming enough, staring at a book in her lap. And  _ that,  _ Shinsou decided, was why she was a bad actress. Everyone else’s eyes in the car were trained on his every move -- which he should’ve expected with his Kree suit looking  _ nothing  _ like the clothes on C-53 -- except for the old lady’s. She just stared down at her book, oblivious to the world, and only looked up when Shinsou stepped right in front of him. She slowly raised her head and gave a squinty-eyed smile to the purple haired boy.

Shinsou threw the first punch.

Around him, gasps and shouting erupted from everyone else in the car. The old woman just raised a wrinkled hand to her cheek -- now blooming with a reddening bruise -- and smiled at Shinsou again. He lunged, forcing as much power into his punch as he could and aiming for the stomach. One passengers arms wrapped around his own, and another grabbed his middle. His momentum was slowed, even though he broke away from the feeble humans with one swift jerk of his elbow, and that was enough for the Skull to start running.

_ Not today, filthy lizard spawn. _

With one quick stride, he grabbed the mutant by the hair and threw it on the ground. Someone behind him starting screaming. He didn’t care. With a swift kick from his solid boots, the woman flipped over onto her stomach, and a deep purple crystal rolled out of her pocket. 

Shinsou grabbed it just as the transit car sped to a screeching halt, and the doors flew open. The woman picked herself and ran -- further confirming Shinsou’s theory that she wasn’t human at all. With the screams and yells of the passengers roaring behind him, Shinsou darted off of the transit car, and was swallowed by the bustle of the other humans.

He cursed as the woman disappeared, and then was gone entirely. The purple crystal flickered with the scenes from Shinsou’s capture.

**All Might. Doctor Toshinori.**

\---

“So, are we just gonna sit here and wait for the kid to show up?” 

Shouta sighed and massaged his jaw which clicked from ridiculous amounts of coffee consumption, maneuvering his black Toyota down the main road.. “I called the metro office. They’re shutting down the thing here. He’s gotta appear at some point.”

Hizashi was silent next to him.

Shouta’s phone rang, and with a frown, the dark haired man inspected the caller ID.

_ Hizashi Yamada. _

With dread pooling in his stomach, he answered the phone.

“Hey, Sho? I finished the initial inspection of the blockbuster. Where did you go?” Hizashi whined from the other side of the device and Shouta couldn’t help but turn to the other Hizashi that sat in his passenger seat.

“If you’re there… then….” he mumbled, but then stopped when the Hizashi in front of him melted away before his eyes, replaced by a… kid, really, with two toned hair and pale skin with a glossy green sheen.

That was  _ not  _ Hizashi.

The pseudo Hizashi swung for him, hands no longer hands but  _ claws.  _ Shouta ducked as best he could, and felt the steering wheel of the Toyota slip from his grasp. The car swerved, and then he heard the gunshots piercing the windshield. 

“Shit!” He yelled, grabbing for his own U.A. issued gun as the car lurched to a stop.

He hadn’t… pressed the brakes?

One peer over the dash could confirm that the fire hydrant that was spraying water onto the pavement had stopped him.

And it seemed, as Shouta shot a hesitant look over to the passenger’s side, a bullet had stopped the… thing that had attacked him.

He took a withering sip of coffee and grabbed his badge, sliding out of the car. 

The paperwork he would have to do after this.

\---

“That’s a uh… nice costume you got there.” 

Shinsou barely looked up at the older man overtop of the…  _ newspaper  _ he held in his hands.

“It’s not a costume. It’s my uniform.” Shinsou rolled his eyes and continued to “skim” through the newspaper.

“Whatever man. I was just trying to be nice, jeez.” The man sighed and Shinsou heard the growl of an engine turn off. This time he  _ did  _ look at the man, and found him getting off a bike of sorts. He shot Shinsou a skeptical look, then shrugged and walked into a random store. 

The bench Shinsou sat on suddenly seemed very uncomfortable. The bike however -- a very good looking getaway -- seemed  _ very  _ appealing and comfortable. If Shinsou knew anything about hot wiring (and he did, from Dabi of course) then he could take that bike and go in a matter of five minutes.

He looked down at his suit and wrinkled his nose. Dabi used to make fun of him when he did, but Dabi wasn’t here, was he? 

No, the suit was too flashy. He would stick out like a sore thumb, and he couldn’t risk Officer Naps-A-Lot spotting him. His purple eyes traveled almost by fate to a mannequin in the clothing store window. Leather jacket, plain white shirt, black flannel, dark pants, glasses.  _ Sure,  _ it was on a  _ woman,  _ but they looked close enough to Hitoshi’s size with his lean muscle and lanky figure.

Ten minutes later, Shinsou sped down the roads of ‘Los Angeles.’ The humans drove so… slow. Countless times, Shinsou found himself grinning as he looped in between cars and darted down the roads with extreme speed. The vehicles honked at him loudly, but the action only served to fuel his adrenaline. He drove faster.

“Attention! Purple hair!” Shinsou cursed as a sleek black and white car labeled ‘police’ skidded to a halt in front of him. He slammed on the brakes to his bike, burning rubber and asphalt.  _ Shit.  _ “You are under arrest for police evasion, theft, destruction of public property, assault, and excessive speeding! You have the right to remain silent -- anything you say can be used against you in a court of law!”

Shinsou put his hands in the air, victorious smirk falling from his face. 

It was really unfair that they had guns and he didn’t. With a swift motion he launched a beam of energy at them, jumped on his bike, and ran.

\---

“We have that purple hair guy you called in.” Nemuri nodded at him, tying her deep blue hair into a messy ponytail. “He stole a motorcycle. Someone reported it in the parking lot of a bar. Apparently he looks… just mildly pissed off.”

Shouta raised a dark eyebrow, “Oh, only mildly? That’s nice, considering he can shoot… lasers from his hands.”

Nemuri snorted. Shouta’s bones creaked as he got up from his desk. 

“Good luck with him, Sho. He seems very… high strung.”

“Thanks for the advice.” Shouta grunted at the woman, not fully meaning it, and heading down to interrogation.

Shinsou waited for him there, now dressed significantly more… casual than before, though Shouta couldn’t help but notice that the clothes (especially the black skinny jeans) were women’s clothes. 

“Alright, kid.” He sighed, staring down the table across from the purple haired idiot. Shinsou stared blankly back through tired purple eyes. 

“Do you believe me?” Shinsou pointed to Shouta’s face, and the older man almost didn’t realize what he was talking about until he remembered the bandage on his eyebrow where glass from his totaled car had cut him.

“I didn’t… until I had one in my car.” Shouta hummed. He fished around in his pocket and pulled out a black hair tie, looping it around his wrist and moving to tie his unruly hair back into a ponytail. “You need to start talking.”

“First, answer me. I need to know you aren’t one of them.”

Shouta growled, but nodded, sitting on a bar stool. Shinsou took the one next to him and squinted at his face, “Where were you born?”

“Indiana. Next.”

“Name of your first pet.”

“Didn’t have one.” 

“Tell me something only you would know. A deep, dark secret.” Shinsou glared at him as though to test him.

Shouta sniffed. The  _ audacity  _ of this kid. “When I was eight I hit a bird with my bicycle and didn’t tell anyone. Bird died. Traumatizing. I hate birds now.”

Shinsou snorted, a thin and bony hand running through his purple hair.

“Hold on, did you even need to know that?” Shouta hissed, and Shinsou shook his head. The older man rolled his eyes for what felt like the thousandth time since meeting this boy. “My turn then. And don’t go bullshitting me.” Shinsou kept silent, and Shouta took it as his cue to go on, “First, explain to me what the hell is going on here.”

Shinsou shrugged, but his shoulders carried a tension that betrayed the intent of the action. “Those things -- the green ones -- are called Skrulls. They are a race that is making it their mission to destroy the entire universe. They can shapeshift into anything they want to, and are using it to destroy planets. There’s something… here, on C-53 that they want. They aren’t going to stop until they get it.”

Shouta frowned, “And how are you so sure they aren’t just after you? I’m going to assume that crashing into the Blockbuster was just your version of a rocky landing from  _ outer space.”  _

Shinsou shifted, cuffed hands reaching into his leather jacket and pulling out a purple crystal. It glimmered in the dim bar lighting. “These… are memories. My memories, to be exact.” His purple eyes studied the crystal inquisitively, “They are proof that I may have a connection to this planet. They are after me because I know something about this place.”

“So… you’re just gonna run around here like a chicken with your head cut off until you figure it out?” Shouta grunted. His patience was wearing thin.

“What’s a chicken?” Shinsou frowned, looking like a lost puppy instead of a… villain. He shook his head like a wet dog and then made eye contact with Shouta. “No, anyway, I need you to take me to the Peagasus.”

“Those don’t exist, kid.” Shouta huffed. This was lunacy.  _ Lunacy. _

“Not a  _ real _ pegasus, jeez.” Shinsou huffed, slapping an exasperated palm down on the bar top, “There’s a ship. It’s called the pegasus. I need to see it. Something about a captain… Toshinori?… no, Doctor Toshinori. She was working on a project. The Skrulls want it, I’m dead sure of it.”

Shouta paused for a minute. The P.E.G.A.S.U.S was a ship from awhile back in the Air Force base. He remembered it being a point of controversy a couple years back. He  _ could  _ take Shinsou there. Figure out whatever this crazy kid needed and then call it in, if he really thought about it. This kid… something in his eyes screamed that he was weary and tired, call it intuition, and Shouta sympathized for him. That being said… he was also a wanted fugitive on many accounts. If Shouta could occupy his time long enough to stall him and bring him in for questioning, maybe they would have a better chance than following after the renegade like blind mice.

“I think I can take you to the ship.” Shouta met Shinsou’s tired eyes which seemed to spark at the plan.

“You will?” He sounded so… young with energy practically seeping from every inch of his body.

“Yup. Now get in the car. You can’t keep the motorcycle.”

“Why not? I need a method of transportation.”

“Shinsou… it’s… nevermind. I’ll drive.”

\---

“Alright, now listen. Just follow my lead, and I can show you the ship. Then, we’re going to figure out exactly what it means to these… Skrulls of yours and you’re coming back to U.A. with me. Understood?” 

Shinsou shrugged noncommittally. Shouta rolled his eyes and grabbed his eyedrops. Damn dry eye. 

“First of all, take off the flannel. You don’t wear a flannel with a leather jacket.”

“Why can’t I take off the leather?”

“Be _ cause,”  _ Shota groaned, grabbing a baseball hat from the middle console and squishing it onto the boy’s wild purple hair, “you need to look like you work with me. Also you don’t look like a normal human.”

“Why thanks, agent Aizawa, didn’t think you were the director of C-53 fashion.”

“We call it Earth, thank you very much,” Shouta sighed and stepped out of the car, slamming the door with a loud thud, “And I’m not the  _ director _ of anything. I just happen to know what you should and shouldn’t wear to look like a civilian. You could stand to learn a thing or two. Oh, and you should get new pants.”

“Why? These fit fine.”

“They’re made for a teenage girl and you know it.” Shouta couldn’t help but chuckle. Shinsou opened his mouth to protest, but then three  _ humans,  _ Shouta hoped, were walking towards them. If Shinsou could keep quiet, this would go according to plan.

“Agent Shouta Aizawa of U.A.” the gruff man nodded, pulling out his badge. The tallest of the three nodded with a smile and grabbed the badge to inspect it -- doing nothing to calm Shouta’s anxiety about the whole situation. This was  _ ridiculous. Stupid,  _ if you would. There was nothing sane about letting a little alien boy lead him around on some wild goose chase. 

“Commander Mirio.” The blonde and bulky man introduced himself with a nod. His two companions, a blue haired woman with her hair in a tight military bun and a lankier man with dark untamed hair. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“We need to access your files on the P.E.G.A.S.U.S. project.” Shinsou interrupted. Shouta swallowed his scream of frustration. Really kid?  _ Now? _

“Why would that be?” Commander Mirio tilted his head to the side, big blue eyes flicking to Shinsou. He was tall, taller than Shouta, and with bigger muscles too. He hoped that Shinsou wouldn’t get him into another bloody mess that day.

“We are investigating the case of a Doctor Toshinori.”

The blonde raised a skeptical eyebrow. “This way.”

\---

“We’ve been sitting in this room forever.” Shinsou huffed, wringing his palms together idly. His body almost vibrated with the temptation of using his power and just blowing them out of there. Agent Aizawa paced the room. The dark haired man didn’t answer.

“Do you think they’re actually gonna let us out of here? Or will they just leave us here to rot? Were we really that suspicious?”

Shouta grunted, but the noise didn’t hold an answer. Instead, the agent grabbed a piece of… adhesive? From a roll.

“What are you doing with that?” Shinsou asked, but Aizawa jsut fished his badge out of his pocket and then stuck the adhesive to it. 

_ Agent Crusty-And-Tired is losing it. _

“Watch this.” Agent Aizawa removed the adhesive after a moment’s pause and then carried it over to the door. He pressed it against a scanner -- one that the dark haired boy that had led them into the room had pressed his thumb against to get out -- and waited as the device flashed.

Then, the lock clicked.

_ Fingerprint lifting. I liked my idea better. _

“Wow. So impressive.” Shinsou drawled, wishing he could have used his powers. Aizawa rolled his eyes then scratched at them. Shinsou had noticed that the older man seemed to have an issue with dry eye. It only made his crusty act the funnier.

“Don’t patronize me. Now, let’s go before they realize we’re gone.” The older man seemed more energized than ever. Was he seriously enjoying this?

Shinsou couldn’t say he  _ wasn’t  _ getting a thrill out of the chase and spending time with the dry agent.

“Documents are on the top floor. I saw a map on the way in.” Aizawa ordered, and for once, Shinsou allowed himself to be led down the sterile hallways of the Air Force base to a cream colored elevator. The fingerprint adhesive did the trick to get them on and carry them up. The ride was quiet, but Shinsou didn’t hate it, In fact, he could say he quite enjoyed the company of the quiet man next to him. It was… soothing almost, despite how bland and annoying the dumbass of an agent could be.

Seriously, what planet  _ didn’t  _ tell their soldiers about alien forces?

The elevator dinged, and Shinsou’s heart raced. He was getting  _ closer  _ to the truth. 

“Ok here we go. You said his name was Toshinori… right?” Shouta hummed, marking down the ‘T’ marked aisle. Shinsou nodded and skimmed the boxes, heart leaping into his chest when he found the one file he was looking for.

“Yagi Toshinori.” He breathed aloud, and Aizawa whipped around to face him, life coming into his dark and tired eyes.

Shinsou fished the contents out and put the box back on the shelf. He settled on looking at the pictures while Aizawa took to the reading.

“Yagi Toshinori was the lead pilot and scientist on the P.E.G.A.S.U.S project. It was engineered as a… warp gate.” Shouta read, and Shinsou’s eyes snapped to his.

“A warp gate? That has to be what the Skrulls want.” His mind whirred in so many directions. He had to tell Dabi. He had to find the gate. He needed to find Yagi--

“But it’s gone now. P.E.G.A.S.U.S and her two pilots went down years ago.”

“Well is there anything else? Anything about the crash?”

“Nah. Toshinori died and the other pilot went missing. The last person to see them alive was a… Kaminari Denki by the looks of this eulogy,” Aizawa shrugged, “Well, I guess that’s it for me. I’ll leave you to look through this and then we can go back to the station.”

Shinsou skimmed through the stack of pictures in the files. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Just… a ship. There didn’t even  _ look  _ like there was a warp gate engine in the device.

“I guess we go see Kaminari then…” he mumbled, voice trailing off as he flipped to the last picture in the stack.

In grainy sepia coloring was Yagi Toshinori -- straight from his dreams -- another younger blonde with a shock of black in his spiky hair and Shinsou himself standing on the wing of the P.E.G.A.S.U.S.

He looked up to Aizawa for answers, but the man was gone, having wandered away.

Shinsou shut the file and swallowed down the confusion in his throat.   
  



	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shinsou and Aizawa find their way to the last person to see Shinsou alive, and learn about Yagi's sacrifice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't the longest thing I've ever written, but it feels like it ahaha. It really is takin something out of me to get these details done. But! I am motivated to write longer fics like this in the future! I've missed it really!
> 
> Enjoy!

The storage room was eerily quiet without Aizawa. Shinsou held his breath and looked at the picture again. There was… he was…  _ no way  _ was that him in the picture.

And yet, his shocking purple hair glared back at him as though to mock him and tell him that he might has well have been a fool for it.

He snapped his head up when he heard a jingle and a light clicking on the floor. The sound was distinctly  _ not  _ human. What he had expected to be Aizawa wandering back in was actually…

A cat?

“Hey there lil guy.” Shinsou hummed, kneeling down and letting the cat sniff his fingertips. It peered up at him with deep dark eyes that seemed to know exactly how he felt.

Cold, and alone.

There was a sudden thud of footsteps. Almost reflexively, Shinsou shoved the incriminating picture into his pocket and shoved the file back onto the shelf. He spun around, looking for the intruder and suddenly wishing his pants weren’t so tight. He couldn’t fight in them if his life depended on it.

“Shinsou?” Over his right shoulder, Aizawa had returned, looking more scruffy and haggard than usual. The older man panted slightly and all but dashed down the aisle, grabbing Shinsou’s wrist and pulling him to that they were running through the shelves.

“Aizawa? What--” there was a  _ pang  _ that was unmistakably bullet on metal and Shinsou winced when Aizawa’s grip tightened. “What’s happening?”

Aizawa flashed him a dark look but didn’t answer right away. He let go of Shinsou’s wrist though, and Shinsou didn’t need to be told twice to keep following the agent.

“I called it in.” Aizawa sighed, rounding a corner so fast it almost gave Shinsou whiplash. More bullets landed in files and metal shelves behind them.  _ Keep pushing.  _ “I told them you were here.” Aizawa huffed out again and Shinsou froze.

“You… called me in?”

Aizawa bristled, but didn’t look back at Shinsou. “We don’t have time or this. Keep moving if you want to stay alive.”

“No!” Shinsou yelled, betrayal swimming in his stomach. He had opened up  _ everything  _ to the agent, and for him to just  _ turn  _ on him? They had a deal that Shinsou would go back  _ willingly.  _ Aizawa stopped and twisted over his hips, glaring at him with bloodshot eyes. “I can’t  _ believe  _ you!”

“I can’t believe me either, Shinsou!” Aizawa yelled back over the sound of a shower of bullets. “I’m letting some  _ alien  _ kid drag me around the city trying to catch  _ shapeshifters,  _ excuse me if I wasn’t entirely sane through all of it.”

Shinsou raised an eyebrow at the past tense, “ _ Wasn’t?” _

“The second I got alone with my supervisor they shifted. We aren’t safe. We need to go.” Aizawa grunted, turning back and running. 

Shinsou didn’t want to be on the receiving end of one of those bullets, so he followed.

“Where are we going?” He yelled. On his right, a shelf collapsed when a bullet pierced through it’s less than sturdy leg. Paper and metal collapsed with a thunderous roar. Shinsou pushed his legs farther. Worst case scenario, he would have to use his powers. Not a problem.

“The hangar! It’s the quickest way out!” Aizawa yelled, then ducked into a stairwell. “Come on! This is the only stairwell open right now!”

Shinsou followed dutifully. “The hangar? How is that gonna get us out?” He yelled, then winced when his voice echoed through the empty stairwell. He lowered his voice with a tired apology. The more stairs he climbed, the more his knees screamed with work.

“You can fly a plane right?” Aizawa grunted, but it sounded more like a wheeze. He veered off to a door on the top landing.

“A… plane?”

“A spaceship.” Aizawa hissed, leading the duo down another hallway. 

“Well… yeah.” Shinsou shrugged. He  _ could  _ technically, but that didn’t know if he knew how to fly one that was made on C-53.

“Great.” Aizawa mumbled, whipping a gun from his holster (that  _ definitely  _ hadn’t been there before -- Shinsou assumed he got it when he called his men in) and shooting a lock on a door. Faintly, Shinsou could hear more footsteps.

“You know I could’ve done that.” Shinsou pointed at the disfigured lock that gave way when Aizawa kicked it firmly open.

“Let me live.” Shota rolled his eyes and took off at another sprint. The footfalls behind them were getting louder. And then there was this clicking… Shinsou ducked his head.

“WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?” He found himself yelling in exasperation when that damn tabby ran next to him, toenails clicking as it bounded across the floor.

Aizawa turned around, eyes ablaze and gun drawn, but stopped when he saw the creature. “You found a cat?” He asked, seemingly dumbfounded.

“Uh… it found me.” Shinsou flushed. The awkward moment didn’t last long. There was a thunder of footfalls behind them and then Shinsou’s body was moving off of pure instinct. It was like training with Dabi in the early mornings. It was the feeling of Dabi’s scarred skin and the smell of smoke that radiated off of his body. It was the grogginess in Shinsou’s veins that seemed so near and yet so far as he kicked and punched. It was the thrum of energy in his arms as he aimed and… fired.

A sea of agents collapsed as his energy burned its way through their suits.

He stared. The sight was gruesome enough, but he didn’t think he was actually going to  _ kill  _ anyone on C-53 that wasn’t a Skrull.

“No time, kid! Get on the plane!” Aizawa grabbed his hand again and was dragging him up a pair of stairs that creaked under their weight. He coughed and shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He let Aizawa drag him onto the craft and he plopped into the pilot’s seat with a thud. Before him at a number of dials that taunted his calmness as an onslaught of bullets assaulted the steel. 

“Can you turn it on?” Aizawa yelled over the creaking metal, and Shinsou just turned to face him, hoping that Aizawa understood that  _ no  _ he didn’t know how to fly the damn thing. Aizawa huffed and grabbed his gun from his belt again, “Figure it out! I’ll buy you some time!” He yelled before disappearing into the back of the ship where Shinsou couldn’t see.

The purple haired boy’s heart raced faster than he could have ever imagined. He could hear yelling and more shooting and hoped that Aizawa hadn’t just sacrificed himself for Shinsou’s plan.

With shaking hands, Shinsou pressed the buttons on the dash, gasping when a loud noise filled his ears.  _ The engine.  _ He steeled his nerves and grabbed the steering wheel, flicking a couple more knobs and buttons that were close enough to the ships he had piloted back home. The ship lurched, and then began to move forward.

“Nice job kid! Let’s go!” Aizawa yelled, running back to the co-pilot's seat. He had a nasty cut on his elbow that bled furiously, but he didn’t seem to notice it. Shinsou bit back his questions and accelerated  _ hard.  _

The ship shot forward and then into the sky satisfyingly, and Shinsou felt his stomach drop out from underneath him. He sagged in his seat with relief as the ground and men with guns disappeared from behind them. The click of paws had him turning around in surprise though.

“You’re still here? After all  _ that? _ ” He asked the cat incredulously, a grin slipping over his face. This cat  _ had  _ to be made of titanium or something.

“Cute cat.” Aizawa mumbled, pressing a hand to his bloody elbow. The cat mewed quietly and launched itself into his lap. The older man let out an  _ oof  _ at the sudden weight, but didn’t throw the cat off of him. He looked down at the tabby’s collar that jingled as it snuggled into his black suit with a purr. “Named Goose, huh? I like Kiri better. You should be called Kiri.”

Shinsou rolled his eyes and chuckled, guiding the plane steadily into the air, “Kiri is a dumb name. Just leave it as Goose. Kiri sounds like a dumb C-53 name anyway.”

“Oh really?” Aizawa chuckled, the deep sound bouncing off the metal walls of the ship, “Then what would you call it on  _ your  _ planet.”

Shinsou paused, thinking of a decent name, “I personally think that Bakugou would be good. But I’d rather have Goose.”

Aizawa rolled his eyes, “Please, Kiri is a  _ much  _ better name than Bakugou and Goose  _ combined. _ ”

“Bet.” Shinsou snickered, “Watch this,” he turned to face the cat, plastering a fake grin on his face. The tabby stared blankly back. “C’mere Goose.”

Goose did not move.

Aizawa roared with laugher, bloodshot eyes crinkling, “C’mere Kiri.” He tapped his chest, leaning backwards.

_ Kiri  _ launched itself onto the older man’s chest and settled there against the crook of his neck.

“Traitor.” Shinsou hissed then sighed. “Hey, do you remember the address of the last person to uh… see me?”

“Uhm yeah…” Aizawa paused for a moment, looking up as though searching his brain physically, “Mmm, it wasn’t too far from here. Keep heading south.”

\---

Denki Kaminari was on his feet the second the earthquake started. Violent winds whipped around his country style house and the ground vibrated fiercely.

“Daddy?” Eri whined, clambering out of her bedroom, “What’s happening?”

Denki looked out the window and then froze.

_ Why in the Hell was there an air force craft in his backyard? _

“...Nothing sweetie,” the blonde deflected, starting for the door, “Just gimme one sec.” Eri didn’t press the matter, and even if she did, Denki was already ten paces out the door running to the ship.

The back of the ship opened, and Denki’s breath all but flew out of his lungs because that was… that was… “Hitoshi?”

The purple haired boy was  _ unmistakably  _ his partner from the air force base. The unruly purple hair, the violet eyes, the lanky body that most considered to be feeble and fragile until you were on the receiving end of one of his punches.

Hitoshi looked at him, and Denki, overcome by sheer  _ joy  _ sprinted towards him. “HITOSHI!” He screamed, launching himself at the boy. 

Hitoshi took a step back, a scarred hand coming out to steady him. Denki faltered at seeing the black haired man clad in a black suit and the way Hitoshi stared at him with wide, confused eyes.

“Are you…. Denki Kaminari?” Hitoshi asked, voice still as clear and crisp as the last time Denki had seen him.

The day before… Hitoshi and Yagi had died.

Denki swallowed thickly, not liking how Hitoshi seemed skeptical of the blonde. “Uh, yeah. That’s me, Hitoshi.” He laughed uncomfortably.

“Hitoshi?” The other boy asked, and that’s when Denki knew.

_ Oh. _

Dread sunk into the pit of his stomach. Hitoshi… didn’t remember.

“That’s… you.” Denki choked, forcing the tears in his eyes to  _ go away.  _ “You’re Hitoshi Shinsou. You’re my… best friend.”

Hitoshi paused, then sighed, his body releasing all tension and collapsing in on himself. “I’m sorry. I… can’t remember all that well.” 

Denki nodded, trying to hold back all the questions. Why was Hitoshi here? Why wasn’t he dead? What happened to him? Why didn’t he remember anything?  _ Why was he wearing women's clothes?  _ “Do you want to come inside? I can make lunch or something, I know it’s late but…”

Hitoshi looked ready to decline -- Denki knew that look, when the purple haired boy looked too selfless for his own good -- but the other man, the one with the tangled black hair, spoke instead.

“That would be wonderful, Mr. Kaminari.”

Denki led them back inside, feeling somewhat sick instead of happy. 

_ What would Eri think? _

\---

Shinsou couldn’t have been more thankful for the ham and mustard sandwich Denki had set in front of him. His stomach had been so glaringly empty all day he hadn’t even realized how hungry he was until the meal was set before him. He devoured it like a hungry animal, relishing the way it stuck to the roof of his mouth and let the flavor linger.

“Uncle Hitoshi!” 

Shinsou almost choked at the noise before a little girl with stark white hair came barreling into the room, arms outstretched and aiming straight at him. “Eri! No!” Denki commanded, and the little girl -- who could only be seven at the most -- halted, half frozen.

“Why can’t I hug Uncle Hitoshi, daddy?” She whined, and Shinsou almost choked again. Denki had a  _ kid?  _

Denki shuffled awkwardly, and Shinsou felt guilty suddenly. Denki had been obviously tense throughout the whole… “reunion” and Shinsou couldn’t help but feel responsible. Frustration burned a hole into his stomach, making it twist and churn uncomfortably.

“Uncle Hitoshi is… he can’t remember things very well right now, Eri.” Denki soothed, but Shinsou could hear the way his voice quivered just slightly. Shinsou felt hot and sticky.

“Well,” Eri seated herself at the kitchen table, smiling brightly at Shinsou as though there wasn’t a problem in the world, “I for one think that you’re still the coolest ever! Everyone said you were dead, but mom and I knew you weren’t! We knew it!” She cheered as she bounced in her seat. Her smile was infectious, and Shinsou couldn’t help but grin. “Oh, wait!” she squealed, jumping up and dashing out of the room.

“Cute kid.” Aizawa mumbled through a cup of coffee. Denki had luckily had a spare roll of bandages to fix up Aizawa’s arm, and now the older man sat next to Hitoshi, staring pensively at the pictures on the walls and saying nothing.

“Yeah. She’s… a handful, but I love her.” Denki sighed, a blissful smile sliding over his features. He looked to Hitoshi like he wanted to say more, but at that time, Eri ran into the room again, a leather bomber jacket in her hands.

“Uncle Hitoshi this is yours!” She yelled, putting it into his lap with so much force Shinsou almost fell over. “I used to wear it, but I got ketchup on it once so now daddy won’t let me.” She pouted and Shinsou couldn’t help but reach out and ruffle her hair. Eri squealed and flung her tiny hands up to fix it in a hurry. 

“Eri, can you give the adults a second?” Denki came back over with some glasses of water, “You can go play around outside if you want.” Eri nodded enthusiastically before scampering away outside.

There was a pregnant pause in the kitchen.

“So… what happened?” Denki looked at Shinsou, a thousand questions swimming in his golden eyes. “One day you were here, and the next… poof. Gone.”

Shinsou swallowed thickly. “I… don’t know exactly. The last thing I remember is waking up on Hala--”

“Hala?” Aizawa raised an eyebrow.

“Planet. Anyway, I woke up on Hala with these… powers, and I’ve been there since. Dabi -- he’s my… mentor -- has been training me and… we went on a mission and I got captured,” then, almost like lightning, the thought struck Shinsou, “Denki. There are shapeshifters on this planet. You can’t trust anyone. They could be coming to find you if they know you were related to doctor Yagi--”

Denki’s nose scrunched up in confusion, “What--”

“They’re called Skrulls. They want whatever warp gate technology Yagi was working on, and they already captured me to get it. They could kill you--”

There was a knock at the door.

Time seemed to slow in the kitchen.

Denki got to his feet and ambled towards the door, and Shinsou felt his heart leap into his chest. There could be a  _ Skrull  _ at the door. Did Denki  _ not  _ hear him? He shot to his feet as Denki opened to the door and a large man appeared in the doorway. Shinsou’s blood ran cold.

“Hey, Mr. Sato!” Denki greeted cheerfully, “Can I help you?”

“Yeah, actually, I saw the uh… plane? In the backyard,” the man rambled. Shinsou raced to the door, “I wanted to know if the boys could go look at it? Climb around some?”

“They can’t.” Shinsou cut in, shoving Denki away from the door. The blonde protested, but Shinsou didn’t care. “Now get your filthy body off this property--”

“Hitoshi, no!” Denki yelped, shoving Shinsou so hard that he  _ actually  _ stumbled. He forgot that Denki was in the Air Force at one point. “Sorry, can you come by again tomorrow? Now isn’t really a good time--”

Shinsou reached around Denki and shut the door. “Did you not hear me? They could be  _ anywhere. _ ” He hissed, not caring that spit flew at Denki’s face. His heart rate slowed as the threat disappeared. He heaved a shaky breath. Denki was… his friend, even if he didn’t remember. But…

_ He wanted to remember.  _

Shinsou wanted to remember Hitoshi. He wanted to remember Eri and Denki and Yagi and this  _ damn  _ planet that looked like a shit hole and he wanted to remember the leather jacket.

Glass broke in the kitchen.

Denki swore, and Shinsou was running back into the kitchen as fast as he could.

Fast wasn’t fast enough.

Standing in the kitchen was the red winged Skrull, Eri in his hands.

He heard Denki squeak behind him, and Shinsou saw  _ red.  _

“Before you say anything,” Red Wings said, glancing at his partner who Shinsou now realized was holding Aizawa at gunpoint. The purple haired boy seethed but said nothing. He was  _ not  _ about to risk these innocents. “Listen to me. I only come to bring information.”

“Bullshit.” Shinsou snarled. Energy burned the tips of his fingers, begging to be released and sink deep into Red Wings’ skin.

“I promise you,” Red Wins bit out, body tense. Eri’s eyes were wide in his grip, “I have what is commonly known on this planet as a… black box? From the P.E.G.A.S.U.S project aircraft.”

Shinsou froze, and Denki sucked in a breath.

“They said they never found one.” Denki breathed, eyes wide. Red Wings reached behind him, producing the little incriminating black box.

“What’s on there.” Shinsou grit out.

“Answers. Now, I will give them to you and release the girl if you guarantee my safety.”

There was a pause, and then Denki hummed low so that only Shinsou could hear it. “Do it.”

Shinsou sighed, but calmed his vibrating fists and relaxed his body as a sign of surrender. “Fine. But you better talk… and it better be good.”

\---

_ “Shinsou! You’re sure you want to go on this flight? You don’t have to. This is something that I must bear--” _

_ “I’m going with you, Yagi.”  _

_ A clank of metal. A few clicks. The growl and whir of a motor. _

_ “You have the coordinates plugged in?” _

_ “Yeah but… they don’t look like they’re anywhere familiar.”  _

_ “They aren’t.” _

_ “Yagi… my loyalty to you doesn’t ride on this, don’t get me wrong but… what exactly are we doing?” _

_ “Ending a war before it’s too late.” _

_ The screech of tires, a rumble as tires left ground _

_ “Yagi there’s… there’s an aircraft tailing us.”  _

_ “FLY!” _

_ The sounds of bullets firing. Yagi’s breath coming out in wheezing gasps. Shinsou’s voice crackling as he grunted and wind rushed by at inhuman speeds. _

_ An explosion. Shinsou, yelling in pain, Yagi grunting and crying out. The sound of metal and shrapnel scraping and grinding against each other and the telltale signs of a crackling flame. _

_ “YAGI!” _

_ “Hitoshi… the ship… it isn’t…” _

_ “What? I don’t understand.” _

_ “The ship…” Yagi wheezed, blood spattering, “It is a warp gate. They want it. You  _ can’t  _ let them have it. You have to destroy it.” _

_ A blaster firing. Yagi grunting. Shinsou screaming. _

_ “Who are you?”  _

_ “That is the question I have for you, boy. Where is the warp gate?” _

_ Boots crunching, fire crackling the background. Labored breathing. _

_ “What do you want?” _

_ “Your captain… he lied to you. All Might is nothing but a traitor.” _

_ “I don’t--” _

_ A gasp. _

_“You see? He isn’t who you think he is. He is planning on_ killing _you all. He is one of_ us. _His job was to prevent the impending doom of this universe and he_ _decided that he was too selfish for even that.”_

_ “Why do you even want this? What do you stand to gain? What do you want with our planet?” _

_ “This is the only means to fight a war.” _

_ A pause. Silence. Faint voices that could barely be heard. A grunt. Boots scraping on rocks and dirt. _

_ An explosion. _

_ “You… HOW DARE YOU!” _

_ Shinsou’s ragged coughs. _

_ “You… you absorbed it.” _

_ Static. _

\---

Shinsou was frozen in his chair. His hands shook. Aizawa placed a large hand on his shoulder. Denki looked at him with solemn golden eyes.

“I don’t… I don’t understand.” he rasped out, looking up at Red Wings. The Skrull’s mouth was set in a firm line and he stared at him with a blank look that almost radiated… pity? “Dabi… I--”

“Operation P.E.G.A.S.U.S,, using ship Avenger, was shot down by Kree soldier Dabi.” Red Wings sighed, “That same day, captain All Might -- known on earth as Toshinori Yagi -- and his co-pilot Hitoshi Shinsou were declared dead. However, Shinsou coincidentally was captured by Dabi and taken back to Planet Hala where his memory was wiped to be used as a warp gate.” The words Red Wings spoke were robotic and lifeless at best, but they still held a sorry undertone.

“And who are you to all of this?” Aizawa cut in, and Shinsou was thankful for the time to process the information.

“My name is Hawks, and I am the leader of the Skrulls,” he gestured to the other Skrull in the room, much quieter and reserved, but watching with deep black eyes, “This is Tokoyami, one of my guards. Long ago, the Kree began to attack us until a full scale war was being waged.” He turned his attention to Shinsou, golden eyes reflecting his red wings, “The people the Kree have been killing aren’t soldiers. They are  _ citizens  _ in refugee colonies.” His voice shook with suppressed anger and his jaw clenched.

Shinsou felt sick.

He wanted to disagree. No, Dabi was never the warm and fuzzy type, but he had never given Shinsou the impression that he was a murderer.

But the recording…

“I need some time.” He mumbled and pushed his chair back from the table, the sound feeling hollow and dead. Two pairs of dark eyes and two pairs of golden trailed after him as he slammed the door to the backyard.


End file.
